''The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan'' is a 2010 documentary film produced by Clover Films and directed by Afghan journalist
Najibullah Quraishi
Najibullah Quraishi is an Afghan journalist and filmmaker.
Quraishi worked as a journalist and presenter on radio and television in Afghanistan for ten years and has a degree in journalism. Quraishi is Clover Films chief investigator for projects ...
about the practice of ''
bacha bazi
''Bacha bāzī'' ( fa, بچه بازی, lit. "boy play"; from ''bacheh'', "boy", and ''bazi'' "play, game") is a slang term used in Afghanistan for a custom in Afghanistan involving child sexual abuse by older men of young adolescent males or b ...
'' in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. The 52-minute documentary premiered in the UK at the
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...
on March 29, 2010,
["True Stories: The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan"](_blank)
, ''Royal Society of Arts'', screening March 29, 2010; 18:30 and aired on ''
PBS Frontline
''Frontline'' (stylized as FRONTLINE) is an investigative documentary program distributed by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. Episodes are produced at WGBH in Boston, Massachusetts. The series has covered a variety ...
'' in the United States on April 20.
''Bacha bazi'', also known as ''bacchá'' (from the
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
''bacheh'' بچه, literally "playing with boys" in Persian,
Pashto
Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani ().
Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...
and
Hindustani), is a form of
sexual slavery
Sexual slavery and sexual exploitation is an attachment of any ownership rights, right over one or more people with the intent of Coercion, coercing or otherwise forcing them to engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activities. This include ...
and
child prostitution
Child prostitution is prostitution involving a child, and it is a form of commercial sexual exploitation of children. The term normally refers to prostitution of a minor, or person under the legal age of consent.
In most jurisdictions, child ...
in which
prepubescent
Preadolescence is a stage of human development following middle childhood and preceding adolescence.New Oxford American Dictionary. 2nd Edition. 2005. Oxford University Press. It commonly ends with the beginning of puberty. Preadolescence is c ...
and adolescent boys are sold to wealthy or powerful men for entertainment and sexual activities. This business thrives in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, where many men keep dancing boys as status symbols. The practice is illegal under Afghan law.
References
External links
''PBS Frontline'' PageClover Films PageGhaith Abdul-Ahad: The dancing boys of Afghanistan(''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'')
Cynthia Fuchs: Frontline: The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan(PopMatters.com)
Jeremy Anderson: The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan(Illume.com)
2010 films
2010 documentary films
American documentary television films
2010s English-language films
2010s American films
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